Monday, February 9, 2009

Almond Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (Gluten Free)

I am a huge fan of cheesecake. I learned to make the baked variety last year during a Daring Baker's Challenge and I've found any excuse to make it ever since.

I've been successfully following a low carb diet since Christmas and I wanted to create a low carb, but delicious dessert for Valentine's Day this year.

I wanted the dessert to be light, yet decadent with a swirl of chocolate and a hint of almonds!

This particular recipe is for a no-bake cheesecake that relies on unflavored gelatin added to the base to help the recipe firm. It is quickly created and will be ready to serve within 2 hours of refrigeration.

This recipe does not taste like a traditional dense baked cheesecake. It is a much lighter version with an "airy" texture, much like a whipped cream cheese based dessert.

For sweetness, I combined two of my favorite all natural sugar-free substitutes: erythritol and a non-bitter stevia. These sweeteners are perfect in this light and delicious almond-hinted cheesecake.

I love regular baked cheesecake that uses eggs, but this recipe is a low carb time saver, and it makes a truly beautiful presentation!

DirectionsIn a large glass bowl, mix boiling water with both packages of unflavored gelatin, erythritol, and stevia. Mix in cream cheese or greek yogurt until mixture is very smooth. Add vanilla and almond extracts, and finally fold in whipped cream. Mix thoroughly and set aside while you make the crust.

In a small bowl mix together all crust ingredients until crumbly. Pour into an 9" pie plate, press and shape into the bottom and sides of pan to form the crust.

Pour prepared cheesecake batter into crust. Gently spread batter with a spatula so it covers the crust evenly. Stream 2-3 tablespoons of sugar free chocolate syrup back and forth over the cheesecake. Take a clean butter knife and pull it through the cheesecake batter and chocolate to form a decorative swirl pattern.

DAIRY FREE OPTIONS: You can use soft tofu in place of the cream cheese/greek yogurt in this recipe. Clara also mentioned that you may be able to use strained coconut yogurt as well for a dairy free substitute!

You can certainly use the same amount of sugar in place of the erythritol and stevia if you are not watching your carb intake.

This recipe contains a total of 73 net carbs, divided by 12 peices equals about 6 net carbs per slice.

Regular cream cheese and full fat greek yogurt contain about the same amount of net carbs. I used greek yogurt in this recipe because I had some on hand, and it is as thick and creamy as cream cheese.

You can make this cheesecake crust free, and it will be 5 net carbs per serving for 12 slices.

If you like other flavors of gelatin (such as strawberry, lemon, or cherry) you can use 2 packages of sugar free jello of your choice, and leave out the erythritol and stevia.

This is truly a beautiful dessert! I think an individual marischino cherry placed on each slice would be a lovely addition!

OMG that is so gorgeous! I wish we lived near each other as I would never have to make a dessert again! That cheese cake is a work of art Carrie! You should jump back on twitter once in a while, lots of GFer's on there!

I would like to make this for Thanksgiving and wondered why there is a mix of erythritol and stevia. What is the difference between the two? If I am using erythritol in baking instead of regular sugar how do I substitute properly? (My dad is diabetic and I want to help him out by cooking in a way that is better for him while he's here.) Thanks Carrie!